David Thompson Heritage Trail
David Thompson Heritage Trail is a long-distance historic hiking route that traces an old fur-trading line across the Canadian Rockies, linking Cairnes Creek in British Columbia to Howse Pass in Banff National Park.
The corridor is remote and backcountry by nature. Expect overgrowth and downed timber in sections, with route-finding work rather than a consistently defined path.
On the BC side, the trail begins at an unmarked cut-out from the Blaeberry River Forest Service Road, about 100 meters before Cairnes Creek Recreation Site.
A key planning consideration is how the route relates to the Great Divide Trail: it functions as a named member route within the broader Great Divide Trail system.
Camping is tied to jurisdiction. Random camping is permitted in most of the BC portion, while crossing into Banff National Park at Howse Pass requires the appropriate Parks Canada backcountry permit.
Trail maintenance has been periodic and volunteer-driven, including clearing pathways and building bridges over glacial flows such as Cairnes Creek—so conditions can vary by season and when the last work trip occurred.
Difficulty
Moderate